The Commitment (30 page)

“I know Ana will be happy if she’s with Drake, I’m just going to miss her like crazy,” I sigh. “Other than my aunt, she’s really the closest thing I have to family.”

“I know, Baby,” he says holding my eyes.

“Anyway,” I sniff, unable to think about her departure anymore without crying. “The baby’s almost here, so even though I know we won’t be sleeping ever again after that,” I smirk. “At least I’ll be able to reach the sink and sit on the floor without getting stuck for two hours.”

***

“What about Noah?” I ask him as we sit on the bleachers at the game later, turning to see him shake his head. “What’s wrong with the name Noah?”

“Nothing,” he says. “I actually like the name, but there was this kid we went to school with named Noah and he got teased a lot.”

“Oh,” I sigh. “Adam?”

“Hmm… Maybe,” he says kissing my hair. “I’ll think about Adam. I’m gonna go get us some drinks. You want anything else?”

“No thanks,” I smile, turning to find JT listening to his coach.

While I’d been getting him ready for the game, he’d been so excited about tonight’s game. I knew a big part of it is that so many people were coming to support him, but he’s really grown to love playing.

“What are you thinking about?” Jack asks from his spot on my left, breaking my thoughts.

“That I’m glad I haven’t gone into labor.”

“Why? Are you getting nervous?”

“A little, but that’s not why I’m glad,” I start. “I just know how excited JT is about tonight. If I’d had the baby, I wouldn’t have been able to come and I know it would have disappointed him.”

“He’s been talking to me about it all week, too,” he nods. “By the way, you don’t have anything to be nervous about. I’ve always known you’d be an awesome mother.”

“Thanks Jack,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat.

Right before the game starts, Ana and Drake arrive and I cling to her. Although we talk daily, it’s the first time I’ve seen her since I found out she was leaving. I’ve been leaning my head on her shoulder, hugging her arm to my chest and not caring what anyone thinks when I begin having what feels like a contraction. Jerking slightly, I pull her attention to me as I let out a slight hiss.

“You okay?” she asks, prompting me to nod.

“Yeah,” I say, not wanting to alarm anyone.

After a moment, the sensation subsides and I begin to relax again, chalking it up to false labor again. When it happens again a few minutes later, she doesn’t ignore me so easily.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asks, concern filling her features.

“Mhm,” I hum, rubbing my stomach. “I think it’s just Braxton-Hicks again, they just feel weird.”

“Weird how?”

“I don’t know,” I shake my head, slowly beginning to relax. “They’re just more in my back this time. Usually, they’re in the front. I really think it’s nothing.”

“Okay.”

When it happens twice more in less than a half hour, she shakes her head.

“Okay, I don’t think these are false,” she starts. “The last three were all eight minutes apart.”

“Ana, I don’t know if it’s labor,” I whisper, knowing I’m not sure anymore. “Don’t freak out or Chase is going to make me go to the hospital.”

“You
need
to go,” she argues.

“If it keeps happening, I will,” I tell her. “But the game only has like twenty minutes left and it’s really important to JT.”

“Oh my God,” she sighs, shaking her head. “Okay, fine. I won’t tell him right now, but if you have another one, I will.”

“Deal,” I nod, internally cussing her.

When the next one comes, I say nothing, struggling to act normal when she glances over. The next one is stronger and I jump slightly, pulling her attention to me.

“Alright, you liar. That’s two more!”

“Shut up!” I hiss.

“Chase,” she ignores me, getting his attention. “I think it’s time. She’s had six contractions and they’re eight minutes apart.”

“Are you serious?”

“No!” I lie.

“She’s a liar,” Ana says. “I’ve been timing them.”

“Baby, come on,” he says, grabbing my purse. “Can y’all wait for JT?”

“No,” I tell him. “He’s almost done.”

“Sophie, you’re in labor!” Ana says.

“I can wait ten more minutes,” I tell her, looking at Chase. “The doctor said five minutes apart, right?”

“Yeah, Baby, but…”

“If I’m in labor, I’ll only have one more between now and him getting done,” I say. “I’m not leaving yet.”

“Sophie…”

“I’m not leaving, Chase,” I insist, making him let out a groan of frustration as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

“You have ten minutes and one contraction, Sophie and we’re leaving,” he says. “That’s it. I’m serious.”

By minute twelve, we’re in the truck.

Chase

“Baby!” I groan in a frustrated tone. “Why do you insist on giving birth on the side of the road?”

Regardless of the fact that I actually got her to leave the field relatively quickly, she’s still fighting me as we walk into the kitchen.

“I’m not going to give birth on the side of the road!” she rolls her eyes. “They said five minutes, just like I told you at the field and in the truck and then again in the driveway.”

“What did the doctor say when you called?” I ask as I follow her into the bathroom.

“Nobody answered so I left a message,” she says, pulling her shirt over her head. “I’m going to…”

“Sophie, why are you taking your clothes off?” I ask, honestly shocked to hear the words leaving my mouth.

Never thought I’d say that.

“Take a shower,” she finishes. “You wanna come in before everyone gets here?”

“Babe…” I say, shaking my head. “Sophie… Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“Why are you freaking out?” she asks.

“Because you’re in
labor
!”

“I talked to your mom and I left a message. I’m just doing what they said to do, Chase.”

“Really?” I manage, staring at her in disbelief. “Well, if they told you try to lure me with sex and then give me a fucking heart attack on the way to the hospital, then you’re doing great, Baby.”

“Are you getting in or not?” she asks, pulling the curtain back and raising an eyebrow. “Six to eight weeks, Babysaurus.”

“Sophie, I’m sorry, Baby but I’m not going to fuck you while you’re in labor.”

“I’m barely in labor,” she sighs, climbing in and calling out to me. “Come on, you need to de-stress.”

I will not encourage this.

“Baby!” she calls out in a teasing voice. “I’m about to get started without you!”

I’m not getting in that fucking shower. I don’t care what she…

“Hmm…” she hums out in pleasure.

Fuck. Shit. Fuck.

“Damn it, Baby!” I groan, irritably kicking my shoes off and pulling my shirt over my head and dropping it onto the floor, going to work on my jeans and boxer briefs. “This is bullshit, Sophie,” I gripe as I push both down my legs as she lets out another soft moan, causing my dick to throb as I push the shower curtain open and step inside. “I’m serious, Babe. I’m not fucking you while…”

As I turn to face her, the position she’s in against the tile does strange things to my psyche.

“I’m sorry, Lover,” she husks.

Moving her hand from between her thighs, she takes the two steps to separate us and grips the back of my neck, roughly pulling me to her mouth. Plunging her tongue against mine, she kisses me hard, letting out a deep moan as she wraps her hand around my shaft and begins stroking me. In no time, she’s got me exactly where she wants me and the look in her eyes as she bites my lip tells me she knows it.

“I want your dick in my mouth, Chase,” she pants against my neck before sinking her teeth into my skin.

Before I can stop her, she’s lowering herself carefully onto the floor of the shower in front of me.

“Baby…” I start as she pushes me against the wall, but the end of her tongue running over the tip of my cock as she stares up at me makes me stagger. “Sophie…” I try again, cut off by her wrapping her lips around me. “Sweet…” I pant as she takes me into her mouth as deep as she can. “Holy fuck!”

As she begins humming around my shaft, she has me at a loss for conscious thought, let alone words. When she hollows her cheeks out and slowly sucks from me base to tip, my head falls back against the tile as I let out a low groan and I know I’m done.

“Son of a Bitch,” I mutter as I cave.

Burying my hand in her hair, I slowly thrust my hips forward, ignoring the gleam of victory in her eyes. When she has me at the brink, she holds my eyes and slowly runs her tongue up the side of my now painfully hard cock. Gently, she kisses me gently on the tip and licks her lips in appreciation.

“How do you want me to make you come, Baby?” she husks.

“Are you in pain?”

“No,” she says immediately.

Reaching to help her stand, I bend quickly to taste her before spinning her around to face the wall.

“How long do you think we have?”

“Probably five minutes,” she says over her shoulder.

“Baby…”

“You can make me come in three, Chase,” she admits, bending for me.

“You have to tell me, Baby.”

“I swear,” she says.

Sliding into her, we let out simultaneous gasps of pleasure. Squeezing her hips, I order her to touch herself. In no more than two minutes, she’s climbing, taking me back to the edge.

“Touch yourself, Princess,” I pant, watching her immediately do as she’s told, clenching around me in seconds.

Knowing she’s nearly there, I squeeze one hip tighter and begin massaging the tight bud of her ass.

“Oh my God, Chase…”

“You ready to come for me?”

“Yes, Baby!”

“Good girl,” I croon, slipping the tip of my finger inside her, watching her fall apart. “Go Baby!”

As she gives herself to me, she calls my name out as I fill her before coming to a slow stop inside her. Slowly standing and turning to face me, I look her over and check her, for what I don’t know.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yes,” she hums in satisfaction, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my chest. “Our whole life is about to change completely, Babysaurus.”

“I know,” I agree, kissing her hair.

“Are you scared?” she asks in a soft voice.

“No,” I say as I tilt her head to face me. “You know why?”

“Hmm?”

“Cause I have you,” I confess, kissing her nose. “It’s going to be hard and we’re going to make mistakes, but you were made to be a mother, my Sweetheart. You’ve made me the best version of myself, Sophie. There’s nothing I can’t do if I’ve got you.”

“You’ve got me,” she whispers, her voice breaking slightly as she leans up on her toes to kiss me. “I love you.”

“I love you so much.”

We stand like that for a moment before she winces, causing my hands to stop their movement on her back. Her grip on my waist tightens slightly and she lets out a slight whimper. Seeing the look of discomfort on her face makes my heart clench because I know this is just the beginning.

“You alright?” I ask quietly as she begins to relax again, watching when she nods. “Come on, Gorgeous. Let’s go meet our Peanut.”

“Okay,” she says softly.

Helping her dry off, my phone begins ringing and I turn to see the doctors number on my screen.

“Hello?” I say, glancing back to make sure Sophie’s okay before I walk into the closet to grab clothes for us.

After explaining everything to the doctor, I walk back in the bathroom to find her towel drying her hair.

“Baby, are they still about eight minutes apart?”

“The last two were about six,” she says, making my head spin as I relay the information.

“No, her water hasn’t broken yet,” I tell the doctor as I grab the hospital bag she’d packed two months ago and set it on the bed by her purse. “Okay, thank you,” I say, hanging up. “Baby, she said they’re calling the hospital to let them know you’re coming, but we can wait until they’re five minutes apart or your water breaks, whichever is first.”

“Okay,” she says as I walk back into the bathroom, her voice sounding off catching my attention. “You might want to call her back.”

“Why?” I ask, looking up at her nervous expression before following her gaze to the now puddle covered floor.

“My water just broke.”

Drake

Ten hours after Sophie is admitted and she’s both visibly and audibly miserable. When I hear movement from the door, I look up to see Analise walking out, pitcher in hand.

“Do you still want a baby?” I laugh as I stand to go to her, watching her cheeks redden.

“Yes sir,” she says quietly, cringing when Sophie lets out another string of profanity. “But I may be on board with waiting a little longer,” she says, jumping when Sophie wails out in pain once more.

“If you call me your fucking Princess one more time before this baby is outta me, so help me God, I am going to punch you in the throat, Chase,” Sophie grounds out.

“Or adoption,” she admits quickly.

Pushing the hair from her face, I gaze down into her gorgeous grey eyes, loving the way she reaches for my wrist and rests her face into my palm.

“That was Brad on the phone. They’ve got everything set up for us there. We need to be there by Sunday, so we’ll have to leave tomorrow afternoon,” I tell her.

“
Tomorrow?
”

“Analise,” I whisper, her name leaving my lips all it takes to have her eyes back on mine. “Love, I know its last minute and I’m sorry for that. You know I’ll never make you do anything you don’t want to do, but I have to tell them something. I want you with me, but only if that’s where you want to be.”

“Of course I want to be with you,” she starts, her eyes shimmering with tears. “I just… I don’t understand why either of us have to move to do this, especially right now. There has to be a compromise, Drake.”

“We’ve been over this, Baby,” I tell her. “You know I can’t start a new branch in another state and oversee it from halfway across the country. It’s just not possible, Love. The only other option we have is you staying here and us flying back and forth.”

“I understand you have to go,” she says with a quiet sigh.

“But…”

“I can’t stand the idea of that being our lives for two years, but I don’t want to leave Texas, Drake. This is my home,” she starts. “I know I told you I’d come, but I didn’t think it would be so hard. Everything is happening so fast and I thought there would be more time, but we just talked about this less than two weeks ago.”

“I know,” I nod. “You’ve had no time and for that I really am sorry. I know how hard it will be for you to leave.”

“I don’t feel like you do,” she disagrees. “I’ve had my brother back less than a year. Sophie will still need help with JT, especially with the baby coming…”

“What about you? What about us?” I ask, cutting her off. “I need you, too, Analise. I’m never going to make you choose between me and your family, Baby, you know that. I will fly you back to them anytime you want, fly them to you. You want to stay here? I’ll fly home every weekend to be with you. I don’t care as long as you’re happy. I will do anything to make this as easy as I can for you, Analise, but you have to want it.”

“Ana,” Chase says as he sticks his head out of the door, completely unaware of what he’s interrupting. “Were you able to get any ice?”

“I’m getting it now,” she says, giving him a small, forced smile.

“Thanks,” he calls out, already heading back into the room.

Pulling away from my grip, she sniffs and meets my eyes.

“I need to grab ice,” she says quietly.

“So that’s it?” I ask her, burying my heartbreak as I hold her gaze. “What about everything we talked about? Marriage, a baby… I told you I would give you all of it, Love. I thought this is what you wanted.”

“It is,” she admits through teary eyes. “You’re everything I want, Drake.”

“Then how are you okay with walking through those doors without you?” I start.

“I’m not,” she says, shaking her head slightly as her tears begin to fall freely this time. “If we don’t figure out a way to make us work, I don’t know how I’ll survive it.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because I have to,” she says. “You’re going in part to support your family. I’m staying here because this is mine. I don’t have cousins and aunts and uncles, Drake. This is it,” she sobs. “I have Jack, JT and that pain in the ass girl in there. If you can’t understand that, then I’m so sorry. I will do almost anything for you, Drake, but I can’t leave them when they need me, even if the outcome hurts me,” she cries. “Watching you walk away from me again is going to be the hardest thing I’ll ever do. You may not even want me again after this and the thought of that absolutely kills me, but I just… I can’t leave until I know they’re okay.”

Ana

Gathering myself together after I watch him leave, I make my way back into the delivery room.

“Still no baby, huh?”

“No,” she sniffs in a soft, tired voice. “Did you find any ice?”

“Oh crap,” I sigh as I look down into the empty pitcher. “I’m sorry. I was talking to Drake and I forgot to get it.”

When she hears my voice break on his name, her eyes meet mine and she takes in the distraught look I’m trying to desperately keep off my face.

“What’s the matter?” she asks.

“Nothing,” I say, hating the lie. “I’m okay, Soph. I’m just a little sleepy. I’ll go grab the ice.”